The once-in-a-decade International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Parks Congress has been named the 2015 CIM Magazine Best Meeting or Conference at the Australian Event Awards Industry Night of Nights (17 November).

The 6th IUCN World Parks Congress, held in Sydney in November 2014, is an international forum that gathers to develop the global strategy for the conservation of parks and protected area. In Sydney, the Congress doubled forecast numbers, attracting 6,000 delegates, 30 Heads of State and government ministers from 170 countries at Sydney Olympic Park, and culminated with the ‘Promise of Sydney’ – a 10-year global conservation agenda for the planet’s 200,000 plus protected areas that includes individual country and organisational pledges and solutions to enhance implementation of conservation and development goals for ‘Parks, People and the Planet’.

Secured by Business Events Sydney (BESydney) and co-hosted by Parks Australia and the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, the 2014 Congress provided an opportunity for Australia to demonstrate international leadership and cooperation in protected area policy and practice.

Representatives of co-hosts Parks Australia, Agnese Hubbard and Leanne McLaughlin, and the New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Service jointly accepted the award on behalf of the organisers, recognising the amazing achievement of delivering an award winning event.

“As co-hosts we would like to say thank you to the Australian Event Awards, the industry judging panel and Business Events Sydney for their support with our submission and all the people of Sydney for working with us to deliver such a major event,” Ms Hubbard said.

“We were proud to have this opportunity to showcase our country and demonstrate the benefits of protected areas globally. The IUCN World Parks Congress established a groundswell of international cooperation that we hope will carry us through the next 10 years.”

“The legacies from this global congress will be felt for decades to come,” said Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of BESydney. “It is so important to gather the world’s thought leaders in one place to help solve global problems. I congratulate the team on such an amazing achievement.”